“Go save the day.” Walter laughed as he hung up.
Everyone was on the buses but me. A nd Drew. I dashed across the grass and knocked frantically on the door of the junior bus.
Mr. Rush folded the door open with the lever. He shouted above the noise of the bus engine, “May I help you?”
“We can’t leave yet. Drew’s not here. I think he may have quit band because of a misunderstanding.”
Mr. Rush shook his head. “The two of you aren’t communicating.”
“Right. Give me time to call him. I bet I can convince him to be drum major again.”
“It’s too late for that, Sauter. We’re on a schedule. We can’t wait for Morrow to work out his teen angst.”
I moved up one step, into the bus. “Maybe he’s on his way. Maybe he got held up in traffic.”
“There’s no traffic in this town, Sauter. You’re lucky to have a stop sign.”
I stomped my boot on the bus step. “I feel desperate!”
“I feel punctual!” Mr. Rush said.
I jumped out of the way as he closed the bus door.
I dashed to the front of the senior bus, stepped on the bumper, and hauled myself up on the hood. I stood there in my uniform jacket, miniskirt, and knee-high boots with my hands on my hips, like Supergirl. Then I pointed through the windshield at the bus driver and commanded, “Turn off the engine!”
The bus driver turned off the engine.
Mr. Scott leaned out the bus door. “A re you allowed to be up there?”
“Yes,” I said. “It’s a tradition. Before every band contest, the drum major plays hood ornament.” I flipped open my phone and dialed Drew’s home number.
A ll the buses had cut their engines now. In the silence I recognized the approaching hum of another motor.
I watched in disbelief as the tractor turned the corner and Drew parked in front of the bus.
I folded the phone, jumped down from the hood, and fell on my butt. Drew was halfway out of the tractor seat to help me, but I bounded over the tractor tire and up into the cab, into his lap.
Maybe he was still mad at me. Maybe we needed to talk it out and say how we felt. But I was so relieved to see him, I didn’t care. I kissed him.
Mmmmmmm. He kissed me back. He didn’t seem to be mad.
“Luther called me this morning,” he whispered hoarsely. “He said you thought I told the twins about your dad. I didn’t. I haven’t spoken a word to—” He paused.
“Cacey.”
“Right. I haven’t spoken a word to Cacey since I broke up with her. Tracey, either.” He kissed me.
Mmmmmmm.
“I wouldn’t tell your secret,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to anyone, much less you.” He kissed me again.
“Get it, Morrow!” Luther called out the window of the bus behind us.
“Get it, Sauter!” called A llison.
We laughed, then wrapped our arms around each other and hugged hard. It felt so wonderful to finally embrace him again, and rub my cheek against his cheek as I had Sunday afternoon. Or maybe it was just the tractor.
He kissed my jaw, up near my ear.
No, I didn’t think it was just the tractor.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” I breathed.
He said in my ear, “Dad took the car to work, and the truck wouldn’t start. I had to get here somehow. It took me forever.”
I pulled back to look him in the eye. “Your dad’s going to kill you.”
“I called him at work and told him what I was doing.”
“A nd he gave you permission?”
“Um, no. But at least I was responsible enough to let him know I was doing it. He’ll come to take it home when he gets off the night shift in a few minutes.” He gestured toward the line of buses. “It would be best if we left before he got here, if you know what I mean. He’s also coming to the contest. If we do well as drum majors, he’ll be more likely to forgive me. No pressure.”
“Yeah, that’s what Mr. Rush said. No pressure. Ha.” Then I realized Drew had said “we”—“if we do well as drum majors.” I noticed for the first time that he was wearing his drum major uniform. With his Vans.
“I brought my regular band uniform.” He kicked a bag in the floorboard. “If you want to be drum major by yourself from now on, I would totally understand, and no hard feelings. I’m sorry I was such an ass before. It took me a little while, you know? I needed twenty-four hours.” He looked at his watch. “Well, twenty-one.”
“I wasn’t mad at you about that. A nyway, not for long. I just thought you’d told the twins about my dad. I didn’t know until this morning that my dad had the affair with the twins’ mother. They found out and told everyone.”
He went very still, and the dark eyes blinked at me. “Your dad and Lurleen?”
I nodded.
His eyes flicked to the bus behind me, where the twins were waiting. “No wonder the twins have been on your case. Maybe they thought you liked me during band camp, and they came on to me and got me to ask them out just to make you mad.”
I flushed hot with embarrassment, and put one hand up to my cheek, which I’m sure was bright pink. “That would mean I’m very obvious.”
“A nd that would mean they used me. I feel so cheap!”
We laughed because we were giddy. Then stopped laughing because it wasn’t funny.
“Seriously, that’s opprobrious.” He wrinkled his nose. “Reprehensible.”
“Evil, even.”
We flinched as the driver of the bus behind us lay on the horn.
“Nnnn,” Drew said, waving his hand at the bus driver. He stood me up in the cab so he could slide out of the seat. “Excuse me.” He jumped down from the tractor.
“What are you going to do?” I called.
“Yell at a girl.”
“Please don’t. It doesn’t matter now—”
“Nunn,” he said, waving his hand at me.
I ran after him as he strode to the senior bus. He pounded on the door. It opened for him, and he stomped up the steps. I climbed up behind him. I had to hear this.
He pointed to the twin in a seat near the front. “You lay off Virginia.”
Everyone on the bus, including the twin, gaped at him in silence for a full five seconds. Then the twin hollered, “I didn’t do shit to Virginia.”
“Come off it. Everybody knows you’re evil. Don’t be evil to Virginia. I’m dating Virginia. I’m not dating you, so get over it.”